What is a weed? I have heard it said that there are sixty definitions. For me, a weed is a plant out of place. - Donald Culross Peattie

I like to think of myself as an interested gardener. I truly love looking through the seed and flower catalogues in the spring. I devour the catalogues and have considerable ideas in my mind of wonderful gardens that I never have the time or money to actually execute. When nothing else will grow in my yard, weeds are always present. I am constantly grumbling about the tediousness of pulling weeds. If I do not persist, they take over my flowerbed, and I just can't let that happen since I've worked so hard already. The title might make you think we're going to discuss some interesting landscaping issues. If you have gotten to know Lori and me, however, you will know that we are talking about the constant process of weeding through the items in our lives.

Kathy Waddill, author of The Organizing Sourcebook, writes, "Aside from the personal reasons people hang on to things, our materialistic culture pressures us to have more than we need. Every day, we're barraged with paper, news, advertising, and information. When you keep things you're not actively using, they get in your way and create work for you. It requires constant vigilance to prevent you from being overwhelmed by the onslaught. Keep everything weeded down so you can retain a semblance of control over your life.”

Listed below are some examples that Waddill cites in her book, of how to know if your space or systems need to be weeded:

·You have more stuff than actually fits into your space.

·You can't do things you want to do without moving piles of stuff out of your way.

·You can't put away stuff you're using because your storage spaces are full of things you rarely or never use.

·You don't like to have people over because the place is so cluttered.

·It's hard to squeeze another thing into your clothes closets.

·Items you really should put in a storage room are overflowing into your living space.

·You've inherited a pile of things from someone you loved, and you're keeping them even though they're of no use to you.

·Every time you go out, you come home with something new.

·You need a certain item, and you know you have it somewhere, but you can't find it, so you go out and get another one.

·One (or more) of your collections is getting out of hand.

·When you get new stuff, it piles up because there's no place to put it.

·You're keep

ing a bunch of things you never use because they're too good to give away.

·You're keeping a bunch of things you never use because you might need them someday.

·When someone drops in unexpectedly, you run around tossing things into closets and behind furniture before you open the door for them.

I'm sure by now many of you are smiling because some of those symptoms may pertain to your system or your space. We are all guilty of keeping things we do not need anymore. Problems begin to arise when the things in our lives begin to overwhelm our spaces and our psyche because we don't deal with them constantly. We want to challenge you this month to get into the habit of weeding through your stuff, every day. The mailman brings us papers, advertisements, bills, and a lot of miscellaneous things that, if left untended, will quickly pile up. Every day, we need to address our papers coming into our space and make a decision regarding each piece of paper. This also includes daily newspapers and monthly magazines, and any other item that is consistently brought into your space.

If things are always coming into your space and never leaving through the trash or recycle container, problems are definitely going to arise. Fast food toys, birthday party favors, and a lot of other items that children quickly play with and just as rapidly discard; pile up fast in your house if you don't address them. We want you to enjoy doing the things you love instead of constantly trying to find papers or things because they are lost under a pile of clutter. Resentment and anger are always present when we spend too much time searching for things we truly need, and not spending time with our loved ones. Transform yourself into a life gardener. Be in control of the weeds that enter your life and weed constantly.

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